Morning Box Score: Panthers Snap Hawks Win Streak

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 9, 2011 3:35PM

The Backhawks had to come back down to earth eventually. It happened last night in the Sunshine State in a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Goaltender Corey Crawford, who's been a stalwart between the pipes during the Hawks resurgence, simply had an off night. Crawford gave up three first-period goals and looked leakier than a sieve by the time the intermission horn sounded. Coach Joel Quenneville pulled Crawford for Marty Turco in the second period, when the Hawks lines got untracked. Goals by Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa tightened the contest, but the Panthers and goalie Tomas Vokoun cinched down on defense the rest of the way.

The game itself was one of the better flowing NHL contests we've seen this season. The Blackhawks weren't penalized the entire game; the Panthers were only penalized three times. It's games like those that make the argument against hard hits and fighting.